New York Times calls Norway’s climate policy hypocrisy – Aftenposten

Parliamentary decision to request the Pension Fund to sell most of its coal stocks has attracted attention around the world.

Tuesday reached the matter until editorials New York Times. The newspaper believes the decision to exclude one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions from the fund’s investments can create momentum ahead of climate negotiations in Paris in December.

– But there’s a problem. Norway is Europe’s largest producer of fossil fuels, and the money the country is now pulling out of coal stems from decades of pumping oil and gas from the North Sea.

– Coal may be a greater sinner on climate change front and Norwegian authorities can truly have the planet’s best in mind, but it’s hard to avoid the feeling of hypocrisy in Norway selective struggle against the sources, the newspaper said.

– Insufficient

The newspaper believes that Norway must do more than draw Oil Fund out of coal.

– There is simply not enough for a country that contributes so much oil and gas, to publicly lay blame on coal. The decision to withdraw investments in coal must be a first step, the newspaper said.

The newspaper believes that if Norway is not ready to let the oil and gas remain in the ground, the country must at least use the enormous wealth to support research on how the world can get rid of dependence on all fossil fuels.

Future Leader agree

Conductor Arild Hermstad Future in our hands, one of the organizations behind the campaign to extract oil fund out of coal, the critique of the New York Times is timely.

– The natural next step after the extraction of coal industry, the oil fund now pulls out of oil and gas. Rockefeller Foundation is built on fossil industry, but does not invest further in coal, oil and gas. Then Petroleum Fund do the same, he said.

The Ministry of Finance declined to comment, referring to the case of a parliamentary decision.

– The Ministry of Finance had known another suggestion, Printer director Eva Karin Dahle Rabben communication device in an email to Aftenposten.

The Government went in its Communication on oil fund against exclusion from coal, perfectly Fund could use own power to influence companies in the right direction.

– Timely pointed out by the New York Times. Norway must way out of the oil age, writes SV Snorre Valen on Twitter.

Published: 09.jun. 2015 2:46 p.m.